Vegetables were not a regular part of the diet for Siti, a 25-year-old homemaker, her husband and young daughter. They relied on traveling vegetable sellers who visited their village on Alor Island only a couple of times a month.
But after seeing positive changes in her neighbours who had joined the Healthy Kitchen program, Siti became interested in growing her own food. This work is conducted by our partner, the Christian Evangelical Church in Timor, Nusa Timur Tenggara, eastern Indonesia, with support from UnitingWorld and the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).
The program team provided her with seven types of fruit and vegetable seedlings, enabling her to transform her small 3 x 5 metre yard into a productive home garden. Within just three months, her garden began to yield results, and she started to feed her family with fresh home-grown produce. Despite taking her first steps to a more nutritious diet, when Siti became pregnant again, she was diagnosed with Chronic Energy Deficiency, a condition that increases health risks for both mother and baby. During this critical time, access to adequate nutrition is even more essential.
The Healthy Kitchen program team responded by providing additional support – four laying hens, whose eggs became an important source of protein for the family. With a more consistent and balanced diet, Siti went on to have a healthier pregnancy and safely delivered her second child, who weighed a healthy 3.5 kilograms. Siti can now harvest fresh vegetables from her garden every day, and her family has consistent protein intake throughout the week from the eggs.
During times of abundant harvest, she also sells the excess produce to supplement the household income.
Siti’s story shows that meaningful change can begin with a simple initiative.
With the right support, small steps can grow into sustainable solutions that strengthen household food security and improve family nutrition.